


Always

by orphan_account



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Couch Cuddles, Drabble, Fluff, M/M, Quarantine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25673305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Sometimes power and strength is so close to fragility."An evening in Champéry, April 2020, during semi-lockdown.
Relationships: Christopher Trevisan & Deniss Vasiļjevs, Stéphane Lambiel/Christopher Trevisan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Always

**Author's Note:**

> Steph's music choices for his programmes in yesterday's showcase give me feels, and here is a lil drabble of him receiving a hug.  
> Just some mutual care in Champéry....Can be read with [Of Future and Now](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23777377), and [De l'Aube Claire Jusqu'à la Fin Du Jour](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23845693)
> 
> This is completely fictional.

Chris has been paying close attention to Stéphane throughout dinner. To be fair, he wasn’t too different from the Stéphane you’d expect on a normal day. He smiles, logs onto Zoom to meet his groups of students for a physical conditioning class, chats with them and updates them on the current situation and their plans for the near future. 

Deniss dropped by for dinner. When he knocked on the front door, Stéphane was still with his last group. Deniss watched him giving class for a minute and went straight to the kitchen while humming to a melody; Chris roughly identified it as one of the pieces which Deniss has considered skating to. 

Deniss decided to make a salad because it’s too warm today. “Early arrival of summer,” he commented, “I think, for the dressing-”

“-I don’t know whether I need to know it,” Chris smiled, “You know what I’ve been attempting in the past.”

“But you’ve always liked it.” Deniss laughed, “Despite our friendly kitchen discussions.”

“Did I miss something?” Stéphane walked into the kitchen area as he waved goodbye to his students and logged off from Zoom, “Which episode is that?”

“We’ve not started yet.” Deniss started to slice a fennel, “I might need to persuade Chris to accept the fact that cooking without recipe is a legitimate way of cooking.”

Stéphane smiled. “I’ve not managed to persuade him after all these years – good luck on that, Deniss.”

The other two men laughed, but Stéphane just kept his smile. Deniss went back to the fennel, and Chris turned to watch Stéphane. He wasn’t exactly sure if Stéphane’s trying to keep cool with his joke, or if there’s something going on with him. He couldn’t tell.

Chris was sure that something wasn’t right during dinner. He chatted – or debated on the topic of cooking with Deniss, and Stéphane was just listening and smiling. Normally he’d chime in and side with Deniss by the time they got there.

Deniss did the dishes afterwards and stole a few books from their collection and waved them goodbye with a bright smile. “See you tomorrow morning outside the rink,” He took the books in his arm, “8 o’clock, right?”

“Right.” Stéphane watched his student walking back home in bouncy steps for a while before closing the front door. He stood at the hallway for a while, bowed his head and curled his lips in another smile.

“Steph?” Chris reached an arm to him as he came back to the living room, “come here.”

Stéphane blinked but complied, walking to him and sat himself on the couch. “Hmm?”

Chris wrapped an arm around his partner’s upper back, bringing him slightly closer. “Is everything alright?”

Stéphane turned to look at Chris. “Why?”

Chris looked into Stéphane’s brown eyes. “I just, um, feel that you’re thinking about something.” He knew this man too well. He knew how sensitive Stéphane was in the early years, and how he couldn’t conceal his emotions. Now he had become a more mature person, a coach, he is better at controlling them, but never really managed to successfully hide everything. At least not with Chris.

“I’m just…you know, there’s a lot to plan and to think through. Do I look very distracted? Stressed?” Stéphane admitted and leaned a tiny bit more into the couch.

Chris sighed and wrapped another arm around Stéphane, bringing him into a hug. “I know that, cheri.” He paused for a while and continued as Stéphane stayed in the hug without attempting to end it. “Deniss is not here. None of your students are here now.”

Stéphane moved slightly further, but Chris kept him in the arms. “What-?”

“If there’s anything bothering you, I can listen.” He whispered softly, “None of the kids are here. You don’t need to be the adult. You don’t even need to be the responsible child. Just be the child if you need to.”

Stéphane kept still for a while and finally snuggled into the hug. “I don’t know how you noticed it, but I guess…I can’t really hide much from you.” He said softly, resting his chin on Chris’s shoulder. 

Chris quietly held him close, keeping a hand on his partner’s back and stroked gently.

“I don’t know how it came – but I don’t think I’m supposed to know. I just came from nowhere. I guess…I sort of miss the ice, the shows and the adrenaline? The good type of adrenaline, I mean.” Stéphane pressed his cheek to his partner’s and felt Chris’s beard on his cheeks, “But…I don’t know? Maybe it should be the least of my concerns right now, with everything going on now and also the students. You see, I need to keep them positive and healthy and -”

“And you should take some time for yourself.” Chris interrupted him. “I don’t know as much sport psychology as you do, but being a coach shouldn’t make you less human. And you know, being a human means you have your side of insecurity and fragility.”

“Hmm.” Stéphane took a long and deep breath, “Yes, I know. I believe that I’ve said something along these lines myself…”

Chris guided Stéphane to lie down on the couch and placed his head on the laps. “Ouais. But sometimes it’s good to –“

“Know that it applies in this situation as well?” Stéphane looked at his partner from below.

“Ah, yes.” Chris stroked Stéphane’s head, the newly shaved stubbles brushing against his palm. “I probably can’t solve the problem for you, since…I can’t give you an ice to skate on?”

Stéphane hummed and closed his eyes. “I know you’re not wizard, despite of my suspicion that you had a time turner when you were still studying. But now…at least I know, although I couldn’t bring the kids back to the ice, hopefully I can still help them in some ways during this time. Now I know it really works.”

“I know you’ll always be there for the students,” Chris said softly and placed his palm on Stéphane’s eyelids, “and you always go extra miles for them. They know you always have their backs.” He bowed down to drop a kiss onto Stéphane’s forehead, “I can be there for you. Always.”


End file.
